The Naked Nothing
by littleyeteager
Summary: SG-1 contract a virus on a deserted planet - a virus that is strangely familiar. Hopefully, they'll be a few laughs in this one.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Bored!"

Sam grinned to herself and tried to ignore her commanding officer. He was sitting a few yards away on the bank of a river, throwing stones into the water.

"I'm _bored_, Carter!"

Sam sighed, "I know, sir."

Aware that SG-1 had a tendency to ignore their downtime and stay on base, General Hammond had ordered them to accompany a scientific team to P3X-211 for a week-long investigation into the population's mysterious disappearance. He hoped that a break on a deserted planet might give them some time to relax. Unfortunately, Daniel had discovered a store of writings to study, Sam was researching evidence of naquadah mining they had found in the area and Teal'c was taking his security brief very seriously. And Jack was bored.

Jack stood, tossing a final pebble into the river and striding over to his 2IC, "Talk to me, Carter; what have you found?"

"Nothing concrete yet, sir. The geological team have turned up some traces of naquadah on the planet, but we'll need to do a full survey in order to be sure."

"Oh good – more scientists." Jack's voice dripped sarcasm.

Sam smiled again, turning back to the readouts she had been studying, "Well, General Hammond won't allow another team until we know why all the settlements on this planet were abandoned. You'll be safe for the moment, sir."

Jack checked his watch, "Lunch? I'm buying."

Sam folded up the readouts and slotted them back into the folders on her temporary desk and they walked the few hundred yards to the commissary tent in companionable silence.

The planet had a pleasant climate and was lush with plant life like so many of the planets they had visited before. Unfortunately, the lack of a native population and the presence of so many scientists was driving Jack slightly crazy. During the two day trek from the 'Gate, he had seemed almost happy, enjoying the activity, but as soon as they had settled into their camp and the daily routine, Jack had become more and more difficult. They had only been there for three days and he had already picked an argument with Daniel and had taken to addressing the 'geeks' only when absolutely necessary. In fact, he'd drawn away from everyone's company except Sam's. It was a bad sign and Sam intended to talk to him about it, but she wasn't sure how to approach the subject without stepping over a line. Since the zatarc incident, they had both been very aware of the line that had to exist between them; personal feelings tended to be off limits, unless it affected the team's working relationship. Sam had decided that this was one of those times, but hadn't worked up the nerve to confront Jack about it.

Most of the scientists were having lunch. As they entered the tent, Jack's demeanour changed and he glared around moodily. It was definitely time to talk to him, Sam decided. They collected their lunch from the boxes of supplies and made their way to a small table in the far corner.

Sam waited until Jack had settled in his chair and started to eat before she cleared her throat and made an attempt to broach the subject of his recent mood. "Sir?"

"Mmm?"

"Jack! There you are!" Daniel was weaving his way towards them. "Come with me, both of you."

Sam and Jack exchanged a look. Both knew better to ignore Daniel when he sounded that excited, so they grabbed what they could of their meal and headed after him.

They caught up with him halfway to the building he was using as an office. It seemed to have been some sort of records storage room before the settlement was abandoned. So far, Daniel hadn't been able to work out why everything had been left behind, but he had spent the time since their arrival trying to find out. Sam hadn't seen him since breakfast on the previous day.

"Colonel O'Neill!"

All three turned to see the head of the biological studies team hurrying in their direction.

"Ah, jeez…"

"Jack." Daniel threw him a warning glance.

"Don't start with me again, Daniel."

Clutching some papers in his hand, Dr Blunt slid to a halt in front of Jack. He looked uncomfortable in his BDUs. "I've found something very unusual, Colonel. You need to see this."

"Sorry, doc; Daniel got me first." Jack turned on his heel and strode away, leaving Daniel and Dr Blunt trailing in his wake. Both men talked over each other, trying to get Jack's attention as they followed him. Sam rolled her eyes and fought down the desire to crack some male heads together. She followed slowly.

By the time she entered Daniel's 'office', Jack had already taken a seat and silenced Dr Blunt, who was standing meekly to one side. His feet were on the table and he was leaning the chair back, gazing at a point just past Daniel's left ear. The familiar expression on his face was one of indulgent amusement, the torrent of information flowing over him. Sam caught herself smiling fondly at the image and arranged her face into a more professional expression.

"…It's incredible, really. In the midst of what was obviously a planet-wide crisis, someone had the self-control and the application to record the events." Daniel's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he picked up a book and moved across to show Jack. "It's written in a derivation of old English, so it wasn't too difficult to translate. Putting it into some sort of order was the problem. The author seems to have written things down as and when they occurred to him."

Jack waved the book away casually and unwrapped an energy bar he'd taken from his pocket. "So what was so urgent that I had to miss my lunch?"

"There seems to have been a planet-wide contagion…"

Jack's chair crashed upright and he stood quickly, "What? What kind of contagion?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Colonel," Dr Blunt interrupted, "My team have found an airborne virus; we've taken blood samples and we're trying to isolate it now. Unfortunately, we have no idea what effect it will have."

"I do!" Daniel flicked through his notes, "It's right here. 'The disease does not appear to do any physical damage, but its effects are most disturbing. All normal inhibitions are gone. Walen killed her husband this morning – she said she was tired of his bad moods. Crisa was found with a woman other than his wife last night. There have been two fights already today and the healer is nowhere to be found. My daughter left her baby alone yesterday to go for a walk – she was bored. We must fight this.'"

"Carter, we're going back to camp to start the evacuation. Dr Blunt, keep working for as long as you can – we need as much information as we can get on this virus. Daniel, bring all your notes." Jack pushed past Sam and started back towards the camp at a run, radioing Teal'c as he went. Sam had to sprint hard to catch up and stop him.

"Sir, we can't just go back to the SGC; you know the quarantine procedures."

Jack stepped closer to her and dropped his voice, "I know that, Carter. But it's a two day trek back to the 'Gate and we don't know how bad this is going to get. We have to communicate with SGC and I don't wanna leave anyone here to kill each other."

"Sir, we don't know enough about this contagion. We don't even know if it will have the same effect on us."

There was a crash from one of the tents and two men burst through the canvas, struggling with each other. They fell heavily to the ground, still locked together. Jack turned to Sam, eyebrows raised. She gave him a sheepish smile and raced off to help Teal'c, who was trying to drag the scuffling pair apart. Jack watched her for a moment, fighting down the feelings that smile had caused, then went to lend a hand.

I took a few minutes to calm the situation, by which time, everyone had gathered around the tent. Teal'c left the two fighters under Sam's watchful eye and moved away from the small crowd. Jack followed him.

"T?"

"It seems that Dr Boyce and Dr Francis do not have a comfortable relationship. They have had disagreements in the past, but neither has felt it necessary to resort to violence. I am unsure as to the cause of this dispute, but I believe Dr Francis may have made an insinuation as to Dr Boyce's questionable parentage."

Jack nodded and looked around for Daniel and Dr Blunt. They were standing apart from the others, eagerly discussing their respective notes. He called them over.

Daniel immediately started talking, "Jack, we have to get out of here. We're obviously going to be affected by this virus and it's only going to get worst. We just can't function without inhibitions, without the necessary social filters to stop us from…well…"

"Doing whatever the hell we please?" Jack nodded, "I get it, Daniel. We're out of here. As soon as we get to the 'Gate, we'll dial home, request full quarantine procedures and…"

"I recommend that we tell everyone what's going on. If we know why we are getting these impulses, we may be able to control them better." Dr Blunt interrupted.

Pushing down the flare of irritation at being interrupted, Jack signalled Carter to join them. "OK, doc. You and Daniel get everyone together and explain. T, Carter – a word?" He led them into the empty commissary tent.

"Teal'c, you affected by this virus?"

"No. My symbiote is protecting me. I feel no impulses that are out of the ordinary."

"Good." Jack turned to Sam, "Hand over your weapons, Major."

Taken by surprise, Sam stepped away from him, rebellion flashing in her eyes for a moment. Then, shaking her head to clear it, she gave up her sidearm and knife, her head down. Jack handed them to Teal'c along with his own.

"You're gonna have to be ready to take command, T."

The Jaffa nodded solemnly in agreement. Daniel entered the tent and, taking in the scene, removed his sidearm and silently handed it to Teal'c.

"Everyone's been briefed. They'll be ready to go in ten minutes."

Sam made to follow Teal'c and Daniel as they left to collect their packs, but Jack stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Carter? You OK?"

She nodded slowly, acutely aware of the heat of his hand through her BDU shirt. "I don't like the idea of being out of control. Just then…I was…I'm sorry, sir."

"Hey, like I'm the guy to complain about subordination." Jack grinned.

Sam looked down at his hand, still gently holding her arm, "It might be best if we try not to…you know…touch."

"Sorry." He stepped away from her quickly, "Yeah, you're probably right."

There was a long moment of silence as they stood, both avoiding the other's gaze. Sam could feel her cheeks burning.

"I'm gonna go and…" She trailed off awkwardly, glanced up at Jack for a moment, then turned and practically ran out of the tent.

"Crap," Jack muttered, following her.

Teal'c and Daniel were waiting for the scientists to organise their belongings when Jack and Sam joined them, hoisting their packs onto their shoulders.

"DanielJackson, have I not seen an episode of Star Trek when this very thing occurs?"

Jack watched as an argument broke out over bed rolls. "Great, life imitating art."

"Yeah, you're right, Teal'c. The crew were acting like they were drunk and Kirk lost control. And the nurse made a pass at…" Daniel's voice trailed away at a warning look from Sam.

"I believe the episode was called 'The Naked Now'."

Jack jumped as if he'd been burnt, "Well, there's going to be naked nothing on this mission, OK?"

Sam started giggling. The men turned to look at her in amazement. Horrified, but unable to stop, she walked away, her shoulders shaking and a hand clamped over her mouth. _God, that man was funny sometimes._ Recovering a little, she returned to the group. Recognising her embarrassment, Daniel and Teal'c moved to help the scientists sort out their differences.

"I'm sorry, sir." Sam's voice was still full of amusement, the giggle threatening to break through at any moment.

Jack looked down at her blue eyes, sparkling with tears of laughter, her cheeks still flushed pink. _Screw it_. He took a step towards her. Their bodies were touching now. Sam sobered up a little, her face inclined towards him and her eyes watching his lips as he leaned in. Jack managed to stop himself in time and straightened up, wrenching his gaze away from her.

"God, this is hard."

"Yeah, I can feel that!" Sam screamed with laughter again, doubling up, tears pouring down her cheeks. Jack stepped away and looked to the heavens.

"Oh, this is _really_ bad."


	2. Chapter 2

_Now that RL has calmed down a bit, I have time to write a bit of an explanation._

_Star Trek was always my first sci-fi love. I don't like the idea of crossover fanfics (mainly because I wouldn't have a clue how to write one), but I have been thinking about SG-1 in some of the more familiar sci-fi stories/situations for some time._

_Of course, being a shipper, I just had to get Sam and Jack in an interesting situation and this one just seemed the easiest to write!_

_Just to clarify (for anyone who doesn't read the reviews), I know that the classic Trek ep was called The Naked Time and the TNG ep was The Naked Now, but I didn't think Teal'c would be as sad as I am. So the error is his, not mine._

_God forbid that anyone out there would think I didn't have that kind of basic knowledge of my all-time favourite show!_

_Thanks for the lovely reviews – enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 2

Two hours later, they had managed to cover a lot of ground, but it was getting harder to make progress. Teal'c and Jack led the way, with Sam and Daniel bringing up the rear. Sam had suffered another fit of the giggles when Jack had explained _that_ arrangement.

Things had started well, but in the last mile or so, Dr Boyce and Dr Francis had decided to re-enact their early fight. They had been dragged apart, but in the scuffle, Jack had been elbowed in the face and Teal'c was still recovering from a wayward kick that had connected with a very sensitive area of his anatomy. Jack had ordered that the two doctors be restrained and they were wandering near the back of the pack with their hands bound, commiserating with each other and sulking. Mutiny was in the air.

"Colonel O'Neill, do you think a short rest would be appropriate at this time?" Teal'c glanced back to see Daniel, with a grin on his face, apparently watching leaves fall from the trees.

"Feelin' a little tender, there, buddy?" Jack's good-natured smile fell when he saw the expression on his friend's face, "Ooookay…" He turned and gestured at the others to stop. Teal'c headed back to cut the restraints on the two warring scientists so that they could at least have a drink. Glancing around, Jack realised he couldn't see Sam.

"Hey! Daniel!"

The younger man broke off from his leaf-watching.

"Where's Carter?"

Daniel shrugged and threw himself to the ground, rolling onto his back so that he could watch the patterns in the branches again. Jack sighed, every fibre of his body screaming to punch someone. Preferably Daniel. He settled for throwing his pack down hard and stalking back to look for Sam.

He didn't have to search for very long. She had wandered off the path, but managed to keep pace with the group. Jack found her a few yards away from Daniel, sitting with her back against a tree, apparently trying to build something from twigs and fallen leaves.

"Carter?"

Sam looked up at him, smiling lazily. With as much self-control as he could muster, Jack refused to make eye contact, dropping his gaze. Unfortunately, that meant he was looking at her lithe, capable hands playing idly with a broken twig. Swallowing, he wrenched his eyes away.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

Jack nodded, fixing his gaze on a sapling in the middle distance. Sam pushed herself upright, her back still against the trunk. He risked a look at her. Her hair was an adorable mess around her face and there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek. She was leaning against the tree, her face turned upwards, the dappled light playing on her features; utterly relaxed and utterly stunning. _Oh, god help me_, Jack thought, moving towards her. He reached out and rubbed at the dirt with his thumb. Sam leaned her head into his hand.

"Jack, haven't you ever wondered what it would be like?"

"Huh?" Confused, still focused on her warm skin against his, Jack tried to concentrate on what she was saying. It was difficult; she had closed the gap between them and his head was fuzzy with her nearness. "What _what_ would be like?"

"What it would be like, just once, if you held me. If you kissed me." _What the hell am I saying?_ There was a part of Sam that was panicking, trying to pull away. Jack seemed to sense it and stepped back, dropping his arm to his side.

"Oh, _that_. Well, I know what _that_ feels like." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Sam stared at him. Looking back later, Jack decided it was either the virus or his natural-born stupidity that made him carry on talking.

"Remember SGC Groundhog Day? Well, Daniel said that T and I could do whatever we wanted without consequences. So it's basically his fault."

"_What_ is his fault?" Sam had a dangerous look in her eye, but Jack's mouth just kept on running while a voice screamed in his head; _take the Fifth!_

"I handed in my resignation and I kissed you. Right in front of General Hammond."

Silence.

"It was very romantic; there was a dip."

_Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

"Sorry."

Jack had been expecting some sort of reaction, but when it came, the slap was a painful surprise. Holding a hand to his stinging face, he rounded on Sam.

"What the f-"

"Colonel O'Neill!"

Jack spun around. Teal'c and Daniel were watching them. There was a moment of embarrassed silence as they took in the scene, then Daniel started laughing. Sam flew towards him, intent on hurting her friend, but Jack managed to grab her and pull her back. He wrapped his arms around her as she struggled to get free.

"Carter, for cryin' out loud; stop wriggling!" Desperately trying to ignore his physical reaction to her squirming, he threw a pleading glance at Teal'c, who stepped in and secured Sam's arms at her side, lifting her off the ground until she calmed down. Jack turned away and tried to breathe normally. Daniel was still laughing stupidly.

"General Hammond has made contact. I have apprised him of the situation. The SGC will be on full quarantine alert when we arrive." Still carrying Sam, Teal'c strode back to the group waiting on the path.

"Shut up, Daniel."

"Your face was a picture!" Daniel panted with laughter.

Jack's fist connected with his jaw and Daniel shut up.

* * *

It was almost dark when Teal'c decided it was time to stop for the night. He had been forced to restrain another four members of the group during the day's trek; many of the party were sporting cuts and bruises, including Daniel. He was still glaring at Jack when they were setting up camp.

Feeling guilty under his friend's accusing gaze, Jack needed to get away from the camp. Everywhere he turned, someone was there to irritate him and he was having real difficulty controlling his temper. Perfectly aware of what he was capable if he lost control, Jack decided it was best to take himself out of the situation where that might happen. Just for a half hour or so.

"T! I'm gonna go get some firewood."

Teal'c didn't acknowledge his call; he was remonstrating with a biologist whose name Jack couldn't remember. Jack shrugged to himself and wandered into a nearby copse of trees.

Ten minutes later, he had walked far enough away from the camp to be out of earshot. Lying on his back and breathing in the smells of the woods around him, Jack could feel the tension leaving him. It wasn't often he let himself relax like this, but it felt good. _All I need now is a beer_, he smiled to himself.

Jack didn't know how long he lay there, but he must have fallen into a light sleep. He was woken by the distinctive sound of a twig snapping close to his ear. Instinct took over and he rolled to his feet, tackling his would-be attacker and bearing them to the ground.

"Get off me!" A familiar voice shouted from under him.

"Carter? What the hell were you thinking?"

Sam glared up at him. "You've been gone almost an hour. We came to look for you." She struggled, trying to free herself. "Now get the hell off me!"

"I'm not letting you up until you calm down, Major. You're likely to take my head off."

For a moment, it looked as if Sam was going to fight him, but good sense seemed to prevail and her body relaxed. As Jack eased up the pressure on her arms, he realised how close they were; he could feel Sam's breath on his face and their bodies were pressed together from the chest down. _Crap._

Almost immediately, Sam seemed to recognise the same thing. Neither of them moved. Then, slowly, Jack lowered his face to hers. He had just enough self-control left to stop before their lips met, their breath mingling in the gap.

"Jack." Sam's voice was low, almost inaudible, but he could hear the longing. She craned her neck up and closed the final minute distance, pressing her mouth to his. The last thread of Jack's resolve broke at the touch. Wrapping an arm around her waist and burying his other hand in her hair, he rolled, pulling her on top of him, their lips still locked together. Sam made a noise halfway between a moan and a sigh, parting her lips and allowing the kiss to deepen. Her mind completely blank, with no thought of any consequences, she slipped her hands under Jack's shirt, caressing the skin on his belly and chest.

The voice in Jack's head was screaming again; _stop, stop, STOP!_ But there was another voice that was louder and more insistent; _just a little more, just a little longer – what harm can it do?_ His mind was full of Sam; her teeth nipping his bottom lip, her hands on his skin, her body pressed hard against him.

Then she was gone – hauled out of his arms, leaving only her maddening scent on his clothes and her taste in his mouth. Jack's eyes snapped open and he scrambled to his feet.

Teal'c had dragged Sam off him and now stood holding her at arm's length by the scruff of her neck like a naughty schoolchild. She was kicking at him, trying to do some damage, but completely failing to make contact. Jack launched himself at the big Jaffa, his head full of the fury he'd been trying to keep at bay all day. Teal'c arm flew out and he grabbed a handful of Jack's shirt, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"I am sorry, O'Neill. Soon, you will thank me." He pushed Jack away from him. As the Colonel charged at him again, Teal'c brought his fist up in a short, harsh movement. Jack was unconscious before he hit the ground.

* * *

_I think there will be one more (probably shorter) chapter to come. Not sure where I'm going with this – it may take a bit longer for me to post the next chapter._

_Please review if you think it's worth it._


	3. Chapter 3

_Yes, it's taken me an age to get this up. Strange thing, life – always getting in the way._

_First Christmas with family, then New Year with friends, then the grieving period for the 10__th__ Doctor (not sure I'll ever recover)._

_Anyway, here it is. I'm sorry there's not much plot to the whole thing, but I just had to get some Jack and Sam stuff out of my system before trying to come up with a proper story._

* * *

Chapter 3

Daniel's grinning face swam into view. Jack groaned.

"Hi Jack!" The younger man sniggered, "That's still funny. Hi Jack!"

Jack rolled his eyes and tried to sit up. He was hampered by the fact that his arms were tied behind his back.

"Teal'c decided he couldn't trust any of us," Daniel explained. "He's restrained all of us. See?" He turned slightly so Jack could see his bound hands.

Jack glanced around. Most of the group were asleep around the fire and Teal'c was sitting apart from them, his eyes searching the dark. Sam was lying a few feet away. Jack's anger flared again.

"Did he…?"

"No! Sam helped Teal'c carry you back here. She let him tie her up; she said it was for the best."

Jack relaxed again, glad that he wasn't going to have to try and hurt his friend. And probably be hurt himself in the attempt. He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position, aware of the ache in his jaw left by Teal'c's punch.

"Sam told me why she slapped you earlier."

"What?" Jack's head snapped around.

"I just have one question." Daniel was smirking. Jack lay back down, taking deep breaths and fighting the urge to smack the expression off the archaeologist's face.

"All this time, I thought your dumb military guy thing was just an act, but now I'm not so sure."

"Daniel, so help me, if you don't shut up right now, you're gonna wish you'd never…"

"My question is; why didn't you hand in your resignation earlier in the day and get more than a kiss out of it?" Daniel burst out laughing, rolling away from Jack's desperate lunge.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c got to his feet, prepared to restrain the Colonel again. Jack turned away from his still laughing friend and shifted into a position closer to the fire. Pushing the violent thoughts to the back of his mind, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

* * *

When Jack woke a few hours later, it was still dark, but there was a telltale lightening on the horizon. It took him a few moments to realise that sometime in the night, Sam had moved over to share his bed roll. Her body was pressed against the length of his, her head tucked comfortably under his chin. As she started to wake, she nuzzled against him, her hair tickling the spot below his ear. Jack shivered. Sam seemed to rouse a little more, shifting so that she could brush her lips against his jaw line. The torture was exquisite; he wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her even closer. He wanted to touch her, to take her face in his hands and kiss her. _Thank God for Teal'c_.

Sam turned her head and shifted again, stretching up to graze her lips against the corner of his mouth. Jack moaned softly at the feel of her body moving against him. She smiled. It was good to wake up with someone; good to feel a man's body react to her. Her eyes flew open. Fully awake now, she realised whose body was doing the reacting. Pulling away slightly, but with most of her body still pressed against her commanding officer, she raised her eyes to meet his gaze. He didn't know whether it was because he was tired, or the effects of the virus were growing, or just that he didn't care any more, but Jack couldn't find a scrap of self-control. The hard, fervent kiss took Sam by surprise. Responding, she opened her lips, inviting him to deepen it, exploring his mouth and tongue with hers. The mindless pleasure of it thrilled through her.

"Teal'c! They're doing it again!"

Startled, Jack and Sam rolled apart. Daniel was sitting up, grinning at them.

"Who are? Doing what?" Dr Blunt struggled upright and looked around, confused. Daniel opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again when he spotted the glare Sam was aiming at him. A moment later, Teal'c was looming over them.

"O'Neill, if I release you, will you swear to behave in an appropriate manner?"

"T, for cryin' out…"

"Swear, O'Neill."

"Sure, OK, fine. I swear. Cross my heart and hope to die. Now untie me!"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and studied Jack's face for a moment. Then he leaned forward and cut the plastic strip binding Jack's wrists with a single flick of his knife. He turned to Sam.

"Major Carter, if I release…"

"Yes, I swear. I swear!"

Teal'c moved around the campsite, solemnly obtaining everyone's promise to behave before freeing them. Most were quite willing to co-operate, easily cowed by the big Jaffa's presence, but there were a few who resisted and were left bound until they relented. By the time Teal'c finished, Jack was boiling water for coffee and breakfast, studiously ignoring Sam, who had tactfully moved to sit on the other side of Daniel.

Despite their earlier promises, it took some time to organise the group after breakfast. The effects of the virus were getting worse; minor scuffles were breaking out over the smallest disagreement and one or two of the scientists had a tendency to wander off. They finally moved out sometime after dawn, With Teal'c herding them ahead of him.

* * *

Despite Teal'c's estimate that the journey would take three to four hours, it was early afternoon before they reached the Gate. Over an hour of the morning trek had been wasted searching for Dr Davies, who thought a nice dip in the river would be more fun than the seemingly endless walking. They had found her more than a mile away where the river had dumped her on a rock, naked and bruised.

By the time they emerged from the woods, Teal'c was starting to lose his patience. Daniel had joined him at the back of the pack for the last hour and had kept up a constant stream of dialogue, pausing only to laugh at his own jokes. Relief flooded through the Jaffa when he saw the Gate standing in the open field in front of them. Ignoring the chattering archaeologist at his side, he lengthened his stride, jogging to the DHD.

Jack watched him go past and glanced at Sam. She was eyeing the Gate resignedly as her pace slowed. He hung back with her.

"Sam?"

Blue eyes met his. "I don't wanna go," she told him simply.

"I know."

Ahead of them, they could hear Teal'c dialling home, the familiar kawoosh breaking the relative quiet of the clearing. But still they stood, eyes locked, hands at their sides almost touching. They didn't know how long they waited there, but when a shout brought them back to themselves, the scientists had gone through the Gate and only Daniel and Teal'c were waiting.

"OK, last chance." Jack muttered. Turning from the two waiting figures, he took Sam's face in his hands and kissed her. It was over in a moment, his lips pressed painfully against hers for a brief second. Then he was striding towards the Gate, the taste of him lingering.

* * *

As soon as Sam emerged from the event horizon, she was gripped firmly by two sets of strong hands. Janet was waiting in full hazmat gear.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I'm going to have to sedate you. You understand?"

Sam nodded mutely. She could see Jack being helped onto a gurney at the bottom of the ramp, obviously groggy. Janet stepped forward and rolled up Sam's sleeve, injecting the sedative gently and efficiently. Almost immediately, the room started swimming in and out of focus.

"Jack…" Sam mumbled as she lost consciousness, now tasting only regret.

* * *

As he had been so often before, Jack was at her side when she finally woke.

"Hey, there you are."

"How long?"

Jack leaned forward, "A coupla hours. Daniel's still out. The doc's got us on anti-virals."

Sam nodded, accepting the cup of water he was holding out to her, but avoiding his eyes.

"Sam…"

She risked turning her eyes to him. In his gaze was a look so familiar, burned into her memory; it was what she had seen through the forcefield. Although she knew what she had to do, Sam let him in. She opened up and allowed him to see everything she felt for him; the admiration, the desire and yes, the love. There was enough of the virus left in her system to give him that much. But then she turned away.

"Sir?"

And the barriers came down again. Jack relaxed into his usual slouch, hands finding their way into his pockets. Only the tiniest of nods betrayed that anything had passed between them.

"OK, Carter," he stood, pushing the chair back with his legs, "I'll see ya later."

He turned away and wandered back to his bed and Sam could almost hear the sound of that damn door closing on the room again.

* * *

_Sorry about the angst at the end – it just had to be done._

_Extra points for anyone who spots the Doctor Who line in there!_

_Thanks for reading and for leaving such nice reviews._


End file.
